Pot-Growing Operation Discovered After Firefighters Respond to Blaze

Jermaine Jones, 36, of the 9700 block of South Eggleston Avenue, was charged with felony possession of marijuana and felony production of marijuana.
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Chicago Police Department

CHICAGO — Chicago Firefighters might have gotten a whiff of something more than smoke when they responded to a Far South Side fire and discovered more than 100 marijuana plants Monday morning, authorities said.

Firefighters put out a small electrical fire at a home in the 9700 block of South Eggleston Avenue in the Longwood Manor area and came across a "growing operation" in the process, Chicago Fire Department spokesman Larry Langford said. The fire started about 8:40 a.m., Langford said.

After investigating, cops confiscated more than 100 marijuana plants and more than 50,000 grams of pot, police said. Cops estimated the street value to be more than $300,000.

Jermaine Jones, 36, was taken into custody and later charged with felony possession of marijuana and felony production of marijuana, cops said. He lived in the block where the plants were found, police said.